Then They Do
by californication
Summary: Danny & Lindsay reflect on their children growing up.


I own nada. All belongs to A. Zuiker and J. Bruckheimer.

**Then They Do**

_**In the early rush of morning,**_

_**Trying to get the kids to school: **_

_**One's hanging on my shirt-tail, **_

_**Another's locked up in her room. **_

_**And I'm yelling up the stairs: **_

_**"Stop worrying 'bout your hair, you look fine."**_

_**Then they're fightin' in the backseat, **_

_**And I'm playing referee. **_

_**Now someone's gotta go, **_

_**The moment that we leave. **_

_**And everybody's late, **_

_**I swear that I can't wait till they grow up. **_

Danny Messer smiled as he entered the kitchen, his son Cooper tried to shove a rather large spoonful of fruit loops into her tiny mouth as she sat at the wooden kitchen table. Looking over at the stove he saw his wife, Lindsay Messer, scrambling some eggs while trying to keep a tight grip on their youngest daughter, Jillian who was babbling on about what she was going to bring to show-and-tell today.

"Danny…" Lindsays sweet voice filled his ears, bringing him out of his silent reverie.

"Huh, what?" He shook his head meeting his wife's chocolate brown eyes.

"Can you call Brianna please?" Lindsay asked, her eyes pleading for a little bit of help.

The Messers had been married ten years last month and Danny could not believe how time had passed and how quickly they'd become a family. He wouldn't have changed anything, his oldest girl, Brianna, who'd just turned eleven and was most like him, his eyes, his smile, his tough "New York Attitude", Cooper their only boy who would be turning eight after the new year and was a perfect mixture of both him and Lindsay, and of course there was little Jillian, their six year old miracle child and also, an unplanned, very unexpected one. She was most like Lindsay in every way possible, the honey brown curls, the chocolate brown eyes, cute button nose. Yes, he wouldn't change one bit of his family. Walking to the foot of the stairs he called up to his oldest.

"Bri … lets go, you look fine darlin' we're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry you're butt up!" He bellowed, walking back into the kitchen and ruffling Coopers hair.

"Dad! Stop!" Cooper said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Wha, you got a hot date today?" Danny asked, laughing as he smirked over at Lindsay seeing Jillian with her out stretched arms. "Come'ere beautiful" He said, taking his daughter in his arms and kissing Lindsays cheek before sitting at the table and handing Jillian a piece of toast.

Brianna Messer walked into the kitchen her bag slung over her shoulder as she grabbed a bagel and headed for the car.

"That's my cue to leave, come'on Cooper" Danny said, standing up and handing Jillian to Lindsay while simultaneously handing Cooper his backpack.

"Have a good day guys!" Lindsay called after her two oldest, leaning in and pecking Dannys lips. "Drive safe, be safe" She smiled against his lips.

"Always. Love you guys" Danny said pecking her lips once more and nuzzling Jillians nose.

Car rides to school were never easy, Cooper and Brianna always found something to fight about, at this moment it was Yankees vs. Rangers – which sport was better, and which team was better.

"Guys, come'on knock it off" Danny called back, reaching around to the back seat and swatting at his kids playfully. He shook his head, sleep deprivation evident in his face. He couldn't help but think how much easier it'll be when they're all a bit older and grown up.

_**Then they do, and that's how it is. **_

_**It's just quiet in the mornin', **_

_**Can't believe how much you miss, **_

_**All they do and all they did. **_

_**You want all the dreams they dreamed of to come true:**_

_**Then they do. **_

_**Now the youngest is starting college, **_

_**She'll be leavin' in the Fall. **_

_**And Brianna's latest boyfriend, **_

_**Called to ask if we could talk. **_

_**And I got the impression, **_

_**That he's about to pop the question any day.**_

_**I look over at their pictures, **_

_**Sittin' in their frames. **_

_**I see them as babies: **_

_**I guess that'll never change. **_

_**You pray all their lives, **_

_**That someday they will find happiness. **_

_**Then they do, and that's how it is. **_

_**It's just quiet in the mornin', **_

_**Can't believe how much you miss, **_

_**All they do and all they did. **_

_**You want all the dreams they dreamed of to come true:**_

_**Then they do. **_

"Daddy…" Twenty-Three year old Brianna Messer said quietly, walking into the spare bedroom that had been converted into an office of their Brooklyn home.

"Yea Bri…" Danny said looking up from the computer he was currently typing on. Brianna took a seat in the spare chair across from Danny.

"Kyle asked me to Marry him…" She said, a bit of worry in her voice at her fathers reaction. "…I just wanted to, to…" She tried to search for the words.

"Its okay Bri, he came and talked to me about it. Its ok honey" Danny finally met eyes with his Daughter as she jumped up and into his arms.

"Oh daddy, im so happy you're okay with this!" She said hugging him close.

"He's a great man Bri, I trust him to take care of my little girl" Danny said doing his best to hold back tears.

"And so do I" Lindsays voice entered the room from the doorway of the office.

"Mamma…thank you. I love him so much you guys, he's the one" Brianna said hugging her mother and then starting off down the hall.

"You sure you're ok with this?" Lindsay asked running her fingers through Dannys hair.

"I really don't have a choice Montana. If it were up to me, she'd stay this small forever" Danny said holding up a picture of all three of the kids from over 15 years ago.

"They cant stay little forever, much as you'd like them too. Fact is they grow up Dan, we all do" Lindsay straddled Dannys lap leaning in and kissing him. "She'll always be your baby girl. You'll always be her daddy." She said, leaning in and kissing him.

"I just feel like time has gone so fast, like we've missed something, missed making a memory somewhere that maybe we should have" He smiled at the pictures of the kids, him and Lindsay, all of them as a family.

"We haven't missed anything Danny, we've watched our kids grow up, we've raised them the best ways we know how, hopefully given them enough knowledge to go out in this world and be ok. Danny, we've been so lucky – to be together, be happy, love each other, have three beautiful, smart kids. So we may have missed something somewhere down the line, but every memory we've ever made has been a great one, ones we'll all remember. Don't worry about anything. We've got so many more memories to make" Lindsay smiled, leaning into him.

"Yea… like what?" Danny asked, a bit of worry in his voice.

"Grandkids" Lindsay laughed, getting off his lap as his mouth dropped.

"Hey, don't even ask me to accept the fact that my daughters getting married AND she's sexually active, that's too much Montana!" Danny called after her as she walked out of the office.

His eyes shifted to a photo of them as a family taken a few years ago on a trip back to Montana. He was sitting next to Lindsay, his arm wrapped around her shoulders their smiled wide and happy, Jillian was sitting on his lap, while Cooper and Brianna were on the ground in front of them their arms around each other. He smirked to himself, _grandkids … not happenin'…_

_**No more Monday PTA's, **_

_**No carpools, or soccer games. **_

_**Your work is done.**_

_**Now you've got time that's all your own. **_

_**You've been waitin' for so long, **_

_**For those days to come. **_

_**Then they do, and that's how it is. **_

_**It's just quiet in the mornin', **_

_**Can't believe how much you miss, **_

_**All they do and all they did. **_

_**You want all the dreams they dreamed of to come true:**_

_**Then they do. **_

_**Ah, then they do.**_


End file.
